The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-10-01


commandment of God by their tradi-
tion." And these were they who gave
naughty figs" unto the people. The
long continued and criminal offense of
the Hebrew teachers was their worship
of idols, and the seduction of the peo-
pie into tie same sin. Even the brother
of Moses INDUCED in this iniquity while
the nation yet journeyed in the wilder
ness. The worship of the golden calf
was an imitation of what they had seen
in Egypt. But the pagan worship of
the nations in the land of Canaan was
so much worse, more barbarous, inhu-
man and brutal, that capital punish
ment seemed all too merciful for the
pious traitors who led the people into
the acceptance of that Satanic idolatry.
And the deepest sin of all the sins in
| that idolatry, was the sin of the fathers
who burnt their own children in the
fire as sacrifice to Moloch. This was
a basket of evil figs, indeed.
But we sometimes think that there is
no sin so dark but that another sin
may be darker That kind of inhuman
paganism was popular great while ago,
and nearer to the childhood of our race
when mankind were more excusable
for not knowing any better-when they
could less comprehend the terribleness
of the sins they committed through the
theology which they preached.
But what shall we think of the bit
terness of the figs which a modern pas
tor offers his people, when he proclaims
the eternity of punishment in the face
of all the merciful enlightenment of the
present generation ? Oh, the figs, the
evil figs, the terrible figs, when the
prophet and priest maketh God as much
worse than MolOch, as eternity super
sedes ten minutes of time. If it was
| the stupendOus sin of the Hebrew
| father, the sin of sins, and the rashest
born of hell, to make his children pass
through the fire to Moloch, then what
is the sin of God who keeps his chill
dren in the fire forever Or what is
the blasphemy of the prophet and priest
who stands up and declares that he does!
Mr.. Beecher declared that the man who
believes in the old idea of hell is can
didate for an insane asylum. Yes, if
he is honest in it. But suppose he is
dishonest in it, like the prophets and
priests in the days of Jeremiah' Sup
pose ho is en-his knees in the slimesef
policy and popular favor and fashion,
/ because this horrid paganism has the
most gods? Then | should say that he
was not so much candidate for an in
sane asylum, as for the lowest hell
which our heavenly Father has provided
for his spiritual malefactors. O, the
figs, the figs These are not so much
naughty figs, as they are satanic figs,
come to torment us before the time.
But, in every Christian temple there
are two baskets of figs. St. Peter once
told the Hebrews in their great temple,
that "GOd hath spoken of the restitu-
tion of all things by the mouth of all
his holy prophets since the world be-
gan" ActS iii. d. This is basket of
| figs, good figs, even like the figs which
are first ripe. And these holy oracles
of God are found in every Christian
! temple. Also, in every Christian tenn
pie to-day, there is found another bas-
ket of figs, the traditions and doctrines
and paganisms of men; the abomina-
tions of the heather, indecent, inhu-
man, horrid beyond description, figs
that are evil, very evil, that cannot be
eaten, they are SO very evil.
O, then, look out for the two baskets
of figs, the one full of truth and sweet
ness, the other full of error and bitter
ness. There is that about some figs
which would poison a shaft to kill.
! Others would redden like blood. Others
are as good for the body, as the gospel
is good for the soul. Have a care then
what fl gs ye eat. If the prophet or priest
puts total depravity into the basket if
he puts in one original sin which con-
demned the whole human race if he
! puts in the common doctrine of tempo
rary probation, and general judgment;
and the trinity and vicarious atone
ment, and the eternal damnatiOn of
Gods own children, by their own
Father,-then you have the liberty to
call them all naughty figs, evil figs, SO
bad that they are not fit to be eaten.
And you are not to be deceived, al
though the priest ard prophet write a
plain label, and write it distinctly, ard
say, "These are evangelical figs
They are naughty figs all the same,
They are evil, very evil, and not fit to
be eaten, they are so evil.
But when you find in the temple OF
God a basket of figs, containing such
good things as the fatherhOOd of God
the brotherhood of man, equal justice
to all mankind, the punishment of
every person for his own sins, no escape
for the guilty, but wise correction fOl
their coed, and the judgments of God
like a medicine when you iind the
final unity of the human race, and
L 1.